Glimpse
by I. M. Frelling-Wonko
Summary: Vala awakes to find she has no memory of the last ten years. FUTUREFIC
1. Chapter 1

So, I had this one sitting around for a bit of a while not quite knowing if I was going to publish it. I'm not quite certain about the ending but decided to  
let you guys be the judges. Remember, HONEST feedback and constructive criticisms are always well-received.

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**Disclaimer:** Nope, still don't own it.

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**Spoiler Warnings: **None

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**Chapter 1**

Vala awoke to the sound of her door opening and closing. She squinted into the darkness to see who'd entered and could just make out the outline of a man's body. A very _familiar_ man's body.

"Daniel?" she asked perplexed as he moved over to the dresser and started pulling things out.

"Did I wake you, sweetheart?" he asked in an apologetic tone which made Vala's brow furrow in confusion. Sweetheart? Since when did he call her sweetheart? For that matter, since when did he come into her quarters like he had every right in the universe to be here?

"What are you doing?" She sat up and groped for the light but it wasn't were she remembered. When had she moved the lamp?

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked as he pulled off his shirt. "Go back to sleep. I'll join you in a minute."

"Join me? Here? In this bed?" She'd finally found the lamp and switched it on just in time to see Daniel wearing only a pair of boxers. Her eyes widened at the sight.

"Of course, in this bed. Where else would I sleep?" He was giving her a look as if he believed she was crazy. _She_ wasn't the one trying to get into _his_ bed. Not this time, at least. "What's wrong, Vala? You act like we've never shared a bed before."

"Have we?" She still couldn't drag her eyes from his beautifully sculpted torso.

"Have we what?" He pulled back the covers and climbed in beside her.

"Have we shared a bed?"

"I certainly hope so. We've been married for the last eight years."

"Married!?" Vala jumped out of the bed in a panic and her eyes darted around the room for an explanation. It was only then she realised this wasn't her room at the SGC. In fact, it wasn't _any_ room on the base. It was too nice, too well decorated. "Wh-Where am I?"

Daniel climbed out after her and walked over with a worried crease on his forehead. He made to place a hand on her arm but she backed away and started pacing. She ignored his entreaties, too caught up in her thoughts, trying to piece together what had happened. The last thing she remembered was going to bed, alone, in her quarters at the SGC. The team had just come back from a routine mission to a commerce planet where she'd bought a cute little necklace. Of course, she hadn't told the rest of the team of it because the Tau'ri had strange rules about off-world contraband. There were some things she'd never understand about them. Anyway, after their post-mission check-up and debriefing, they'd all gone their separate ways. Vala had gone straight to her room to put the trinket away, shower and catch some much needed sleep. And that was just what she'd been doing before Daniel woke her up claiming they were married. How could that be? Was this a dream? An alternate reality? Maybe she'd been captured and was being forced to live out her dreams. Her theorising was interrupted suddenly when she felt Daniel grab her shoulders, forcing her to stop moving.

"Vala, would you please tell me what the hell is going on? You're starting to scare me."

"_Me _scare _you_!?" She looked at him incredulously. "You're the one telling me we've been married for the last eight years! We haven't even _known_ each other that long."

"Quiet, you'll wake the children."

"Children!?" she squeaked as her eyes nearly fell out of her head. Oh, this was too much, she thought as she sat heavily on the bed. "We have children."

"That's it, I'm calling Carolyn."

Vala zoned out as Daniel made the call. She'd spotted a photo on the bedside table and felt compelled to pick it up. In it were twin girls with long raven locks and a little boy with sand-coloured hair. But what made her breathless was that they were all staring at her with the same blue eyes. Daniel's eyes.

"All right." Daniel said, pulling her away from the smiling faces in the picture. "Carolyn is sending Cam over with Tyler to stay with the kids and we're to meet her at the SGC."

"Who's Tyler?" she asked as Daniel started pulling clothes from the dresser.

"He's Cam and Carolyn's son." he told her, putting down the clothes and coming to kneel before her. "You really don't remember."

"No, Daniel, I don't." she said with tears in her eyes. "And I don't know who they are, either." She handed him the photo she'd been clutching and saw as sadness joined the worry in his eyes.

"It's okay, baby." he said as he pulled her close. "We'll figure this out."

She held onto him as she tried to believe his words. But how could she when she barely knew who she was any more?

()()()()

"I have run a battery of tests and I can't find anything wrong." Carolyn stated, slamming a file onto her desk in frustration.

"There has to be _something_." Daniel argued, echoing her frustration. "People don't just get amnesia." He worked hard to keep his voice down but the lack of answers was starting to scare him. They'd been at the SGC for almost five hours now and Carolyn hadn't been able to find anything amiss. She'd pulled him into her office a few moments ago to break the news, not wanting Vala to hear.

"I know you're frustrated but this is not going to help Vala. You need to remain calm for her sake."

"You're right." Daniel said and took a deep breath, trying hard to compose himself. "I just don't understand why she doesn't remember me, our life together, our _children_. For chrissakes, how can she not remember them?"

"I don't know, Daniel. She seems to think it's still 2009, that the Ori have just been defeated. She was shocked, to say the least, when I told her it was 2019. She seems to have lost the last ten years and I can't figure out why."

"God, this can't be happening." Daniel rested his head on his hands and hunched over. "How can this be happening?"

"I don't know. The last thing Vala remembers is coming back from a planet called Terla."

"Vala hasn't been off-world in years. Not since the twins were born."

"I know that so I looked up the mission report. Daniel, it was from 2009."

"What was the mission?" He was trying hard to remember but was drawing a complete blank.

"P38-297. Nothing remarkable in any of the reports. It's a dead end."

"Okay, so what do we do now?"

"I suggest you take her home. A familiar environment often helps in amnesia cases."

"But nothing is familiar to her."

"Not now, but even the smallest thing can strike a chord. It's all we can do right now, I'm afraid."

"All right. Thanks, Carolyn." Daniel stood and headed for the infirmary so he could take his wife home. Back to a home she didn't remember.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Here we are, honey. Home, sweet home."

Vala tried to smile at Daniel but couldn't get her mouth to cooperate. She looked up at the modest, two-story house, trying to recall if she'd ever seen it before but nothing was forthcoming. It was as if she'd never seen this place in her life. And as far as _she_ knew, she hadn't.

"Everything is going to be fine, I promise." Daniel told her, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before exiting the car.

He helped her out and placed an arm around her waist. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was surprised by the contact. But instead of pulling away as she knew she ought to, she melted into the touch. As far as she could remember, she and Daniel were just friends and co-workers who shared the occasional dinner out. Apparently they'd become a lot more in the last ten years. Why couldn't she remember? Her thoughts were interrupted as Daniel opened the front door and led her inside. Again she looked around but nothing clicked. It was all so frustrating and she felt tears prick her eyes. One rolled down her cheek and she felt Daniel catch it with his thumb.

"Hey, why don't you go upstairs to rest." he suggested and kissed her hair lightly. "The kids will be up soon but I'll try to keep them as quiet as possible, okay?"

"All right." she said uncertainly as she pulled away and went up the stairs. She saw four doors lining the hall and tried to remember which one was the bedroom. She smiled as she recalled the memory but it faded when she realised what the other rooms held. Her children. Hers and Daniel's. She felt the urge to look into each room but curbed it. Now was not the time for that. She didn't even know their names. Why hadn't she thought to ask Daniel their names? What kind of mother was she to be able to forget her children so completely? As evil as Adria had been, she still recalled every last detail about her. Pushing away such thoughts, she moved into the bedroom and lay on the bed, not even bothering to undress. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep but couldn't make herself leave the relative safety of the bedroom.

()()()()

Downstairs, Daniel had watched Vala go up the stairs carefully, as if she were afraid something would jump out at her. He'd waited until she was out of sight before going into the living room to wake Cam.

"Hey, Mitchell. Wake up." When the man didn't readily come around, Daniel poked him in the ribs.

"Ow, what the hell?" Mitchell was sitting up and glaring at Daniel.

"Good to know my kids are in the hands of the always-on-alert Colonel Mitchell." Daniel grinned and took a seat on the recliner next to the couch.

"Very funny, man." Cam said with a roll of his eyes then tuned suddenly serious. "So, how's our girl?"

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Carolyn couldn't find a damn thing wrong with her other than the amnesia. She can't remember anything past 2009, past some mission to P38-297." Daniel stopped Cam before he could say a word. "Before you even go there, your wife already checked it out. Nothing unusual."

"You sure? For some reason that planet reminds me of something. I just can't remember what."

"She checked all of the reports and found nothing."

"Sorry, man. Wish there was something I could do to help."

"You've done enough. Thanks for staying with the kids."

"Eh, no problem. If you don't mind, though, I'm gonna go get Ty and take him home. If you need anything, you just call."

"I will, thanks." They shook hands and Daniel watched Cam disappear. A few minutes later he heard the front door close and a car started up. Daniel sighed and burrowed further into the chair. He was tired as hell but knew the kids would be up in an hour or so. Standing, he decided to make some coffee. Maybe that would take his mind off of his problems, but he sincerely doubted it.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"Mommy!"

Daniel heard the cry and raced up the stairs to see what was wrong. He found Rhen, one of the twins, standing at his and Vala's bedroom door, tears rolling down her face. He scooped her up and moved her so she wouldn't wake Vala then he wiped away her tears much as he had her mother's not too long ago.

"Hey, Rhen. Kinda early to be so loud, don't you think? Wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"Lilah stole my pillow."

Oh, for the problems of a six-year-old. He smiled gently down at her and kissed her forehead. "Do you know where she went with it?"

"She and Matt took it to the bathroom and locked the door. They won't come out." The tears were completely gone now to be replaced with a stubborn pout that reminded Daniel of Vala. He held in his laughter and went to the bathroom door, keeping as quiet as possible.

"Lilah, Matthew, unlock the door and bring the pillow out." Daniel had on his no-nonsense voice that never failed to get results from his children. Too bad it didn't work on hostile aliens. Within seconds, the lock clicked and out walked two very guilty-looking children. Rhen grabbed her pillow out of the hands of her little brother and clutched it to her securely. "Why did you steal your sister's pillow?"

"We were doing a 'connaissance mission and discovered that it had Go'uld technology inside. We had to get it out 'fore it infected Rhen." Lilah informed him gravely and Daniel had to keep himself form laughing.

"Okay, no more play-dates at Uncle Jack's house for you guys. Listen, it's not nice to take things from people, even if there are alien forces at work. Say sorry then we'll go downstairs for breakfast."

"Sorry, Rhen." Lilah said and hugged her sister.

"Sowwy, Wen." their three-year-old brother, Matthew, echoed.

"S'okay." Rhen told them.

"Good, now who wants pancakes?"

"Mommy's pancakes?" Lilah asked hopefully.

"Uh, no. Daddy's gonna make them today."

"Oh." Lilah scrunched up her nose in disfavour.

"Hey, what's wrong with my pancakes?" he asked, somewhat insulted.

"Well, Mommy puts berries in hers. And she makes them into funny shapes."

"I can do that."

All three children gave him a dubious look so he ushered them down the stairs and into the kitchen. He could make pancakes just as well as Vala, he told himself.

"Where's Mommy?" Rhen asked.

"Mommy's sleeping." he told her carefully.

"Is she sick?" Lilah asked with a crease to her brow.

"Sorta. She's not quite herself right now so we need to be extra quiet so we don't wake her up, okay?"

"What's wrong with her?" Rhen asked.

"Sit down for a moment." he directed and they all sat at the kitchen table. How could he explain this to three young children when _he_ didn't fully understand what was going on? "Mommy has something called amnesia. It means she can't remember things."

"Like us?" Lilah asked worriedly.

"Yes. So we have to help her."

"How?"

"By showing her how much we love her. You guys can do that, right?"

"That's easy." Rhen stated and bolted from her chair. She headed for the stairs but Daniel caught her around the waist and deposited her back in her seat.

"Not right now, though. Mommy needs her rest. Wait until she gets up."

"Okay." Rhen said with a little pout but she suddenly brightened. "Can we make Mommy some pancakes and take them to her?"

"I don't see why not."

"Yay!" the children chorused and the family set to work. Daniel smiled gently down at his children and hoped it didn't take too long for Vala to remember. It would kill him if she never remembered the sweet, loving children they'd created together because he knew it would kill her.

()()()()

Upstairs, Vala was still wide awake. She'd heard the scuffle outside and reality hit her hard. Her children had been just on the other side of the door and she'd done nothing but cower under her blankets. She'd wanted desperately to see them but was afraid. It would kill her not to remember them. She wanted to, she really did, but nothing seemed to trigger a memory. She'd stared at the photo for so long, just trying to get their names to pop into her head but her efforts were futile.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on the door and Daniel poked his head in. Before she could say one word, though, a raven-haired whirlwind dashed into the room, jumped onto the bed and enveloped her in a hug. Vala's arms automatically went around the child's small frame. After a few minutes, the little girl pulled back and looked closely at Vala.

"Daddy says you're sick and that you don't remember stuff and it's my job to help you remember. We made you breakfast even though Daddy's pancakes aren't as good as yours. He said we needed to show you how much we love you and it would help. Am I helping, Mommy?"

Vala looked into the hopeful blue eyes and felt tears prick her own grey ones. She could feel a burgeoning sense of love in her chest and she placed a gentle hand to the girl's face. "Yes, darling. Just having you near me helps."

"Do you remember yet?"

"No, not yet. But I will." And Vala was determined to keep that promise.

"S'okay, I'll help. I'm Rhen and that's Lilah, Matthew and Daddy. And you're Mommy. And I love you very much." Rhen kissed Vala's cheek noisily and gave her a wide, toothy grin.

"Rhen. That was my mother's name." Vala smiled a little.

"Yep!" Rhen said excitedly.

Vala smiled back then glanced over at the other two children in the room. Lilah was standing nervously at the end of the bed, head down and hands fluttering, looking all the world like her father. Matthew, on the other hand, was standing at her bedside, apparently awaiting permission to climb on the bed. She nodded in acquiescence and both children scrambled up, settling on and around her. She held them close and smiled sadly up at Daniel. His face mirrored hers as he sat on the edge of the bed. She didn't care what it took. She was going to remember these people, this life.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

It had been over almost a week now and Vala still had no recollection of the last ten years. She was getting frustrated and Daniel had noticed so he'd sent the children to stay with Cam and Carolyn for a couple of days. She was thankful for the break but now the house was too quiet. She'd grown used to Rhen's endless chatter, Lilah's gentle assurance, Matthew's simple presence. She loved their children but still could not remember a thing about them. All she knew was what she'd been told, which wasn't much since Carolyn wanted her to remember things on her own. She'd tried talking to Daniel but even he'd been pretty tight-lipped. Right now he was working in his office and she was restless so she started wandering about the house. As she was prowling the living room, she noticed a white binder lying on a bookshelf. Curious, she pulled it out and gasped as she read the cover:

_Daniel & Vala_

_Our Wedding_

_8 May, 2010_

Was this a photograph album of her wedding? She knew the Tau'ri were a sentimental people and often made books to commemorate happy events. She'd even helped Samantha with her own wedding album. Would it be cheating to look inside? Who was she kidding, she was going to do it no matter what. Curling up on the sofa, she took a deep breath and opened the book. The first picture was of her and Daniel holding one another and smiling into the camera. Vala smiled at the shot even though she didn't remember it. They looked so happy, so in love. It was strange to think of Daniel this way. In her memory they were nothing but friends. Yes, she loved him, had for quite some time. She just hadn't told _him_ that. Or, she had and simply didn't remember. She'd always been afraid he didn't feel the same way. Apparently she'd been wrong. It was odd knowing that her feelings were not one-sided, especially since she had no idea how they got to where they are today. She had a million questions running around her head.

Had they fallen into their relationship or were they pushed together because they couldn't hold back any longer? Who confessed their feelings first? How long did they date before becoming engaged? How did Daniel propose? Did she say yes right away? She tried to push the questions away but was having very little luck. This was worse than when she'd lost her memory because of Athena. At least then she hadn't _known_ she had people who cared and were worried about her. Back then she'd been able to take her time remembering. The sweet faces of her children flitted through her mind and tears started falling. She slammed the album closed and curled into a ball in the couch. It wasn't fair. All she wanted to do was remember. Why was that so hard?

()()()()

Daniel had been sitting in his office, not even bothering to work, when he was hit with the need to check on Vala. He found her on the sofa, curled into a ball and crying. Without even stopping to think, he moved over to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She clung to him and he felt her tears soaking through his shirt. He only held her tighter.

He'd gone to his office in the hopes that some time alone would help her. Apparently that had been the wrong thing to do. She hadn't remembered a thing from the past ten years and he was getting scared. What if she _never_ remembered? He knew she loved him, loved their children, but could she live with never being able to remember those precious years? He would stick with her no matter what, he loved her too much no to. But would she be able to handle it? It scared him to think of her walking away from them. From _him_. But could he hold her if that was what she wanted? What she needed.

"It's going to be all right, baby." he told her softly, rubbing her back. He wasn't entirely sure who he was trying to convince, her or himself.

"You can't know that, Daniel." she said and lifted her head. "I may never regain my memories, then what?"

"Then we'll make new ones." he said firmly and wiped away her tears. "I love you, Vala, and I won't let you go through this alone. I'll always be here."

"I know, darling. I love you, too. But I don't even know how you proposed to me. Can you live with that?"

"Of course, I can. And for the record, _you_ proposed to _me_."

"I did?" she asked in a small voice tinged with hope.

"Yeah. You told me it was time to start our family before we were too old and fat to enjoy it." He laughed at the memory.

"_I_ said that?" She looked at him dubiously.

"Actually, you said before _I_ was too old and fat as you never planned to be either."

"Ah, now that sounds more like me." She let out a watery laugh then gave him a hopeful look. "Can you tell me more? Maybe it will help."

Daniel knew he should say no. Carolyn wanted her to remember on her own. But with those huge grey eyes still red with tears, he couldn't deny her anything. Pulling her to him, he settled them back on the sofa and told her some stories of the past decade. They both needed the hope that something would spark.

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	5. Chapter 5

I wasn't planning on posting a third chapter today but I simply couldn't resist.

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**Chapter 5**

Daniel awoke to the insistent ringing of his cell phone. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the clock and was shocked to realise it was eight-thirty in the morning. Some time after her breakdown Vala had fallen asleep in his arms and apparently he'd followed suit. Gently, so as not to wake her, Daniel pulled his phone from his pants' pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" he asked softly.

"Daniel, it's Carolyn. I think I have something."

"What?" He jolted a little then looked back at Vala who was stirring in his arms. "You know what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure yet but I think I'm onto something. I'm on my way over. I'll be there in about ten minutes."

"Okay." he said and disconnected. When he looked back down, Vala was staring at him expectantly. "Carolyn's on her way over. She says she's onto something."

Vala lifted her head from his chest, a hopeful look in her eyes. "She knows what's wrong with me?"

"We'll know in a few minutes." he told her and kissed her forehead. They sat holding each other for a few moments when a knock sounded on the door. Daniel stood to let Carolyn in then went straight back to the sofa and pulled Vala to him again. She was looking edgy but relaxed immediately at his touch. Carolyn sat on the other end of the sofa.

"How are you feeling, Vala?" Carolyn asked, entering concerned doctor mode.

"All right, I guess. What have you figured out?"

"I wasn't me, exactly. You know Cam's uncanny ability to remember pretty much every mission SG-1 has been on?"

"Of course." Daniel said with a roll of his eyes. "It's kind of disturbing, really."

"Yeah. Well, anyway, he was really bugged by the mission Vala mentioned. He kept telling me we were forgetting something. Even when I told him I read all of the reports on it, he still refused to back down. He delved into it and found a medical file that corresponds with the date. Vala, you went into a coma for almost two weeks after the mission."

"A coma?" Vala gasped in shock.

"I remember that." Daniel put in. "I'd forgotten what planet it was, though. I guess I was so focussed on Vala at the time, I completely blocked that part out. But how did we miss this?"

"Remember when the Alliance almost hacked into our mainframe last year?"

"Yeah. The only thing that saved the system was Vala being able to break into their system and shut it down."

"Exactly. Unfortunately we lost quite a few files and one of them happened to be this report. For some reason, it was never put back into the system."

"Okay, so what does this have to do with now? I thought the coma was caused by some sort of virus she picked up on the planet."

"That's what I'd assumed at the time. It was in the report and I had no reason to suspect otherwise. But this can't be a coincidence. Vala, I need you to tell me everything about the last day you remember. Don't leave anything out."

"Okay, let me see. I woke up and met the team in the commissary for breakfast. Pancakes and Jell-O, if I recall." Daniel raised an eyebrow at her but she only shrugged. "What? She said everything. Anyway, we had our briefing with General Landry. It was a simple meet-and-greet, nothing too strenuous. I was scanning the file when I realised I knew the planet. It has the most amazing bazaar you've ever seen. Thieves from all over the galaxy come to sell their loot. I was excited and Daniel here could see it. We left to get ready for the mission but he cornered me before I could get very far. He wanted to know why I was suddenly showing so much interest in this planet. I knew better but I filled him in anyway. He got all tetchy about preserving history and all that and made me promise to behave myself, to not get the team in any trouble."

Daniel remembered the mission and was having trouble keeping in his laughter. She always had a vivid way of describing events and she recounted these as if they'd just happened yesterday. His smile faded as he realised it practically had been for her. He was pulled from his thoughts as she continued.

"Well, we got to Terla and I was the perfect little SG-1 member. I didn't punch any of the guards who decided to get a bit more hands-on than necessary when they checked me for weapons. I didn't insult any council members. I didn't even liberate anything from the vendors. Aside from sneaking away to buy a small trinket, I was perfectly well-behaved."

"Wait, what trinket?" Daniel asked. "You didn't mention anything about that before."

"Of course not, darling. You would have insisted I take it back, so I hid it away."

Daniel and Carolyn shared a look as the same thought hit them simultaneously.

"Vala, do you still have this trinket?" Carolyn asked hopefully.

"How should I know?" she responded, clearly not seeing the significance. "If I do, though, it would most likely be in my treasure box."

"The one Jacek gave you?" Daniel asked.

"I told you about that?"

"Yeah, you told me." They smiled at one another for a moment before Carolyn cleared her throat.

"Whatever this is might be tied to that trinket." Carolyn surmised. "Do either of you have any idea where the box is now?"

"Yeah, it's upstairs on the dresser." Daniel answered.

Vala was a little surprised that she'd have it out in the open. But maybe there was no reason to hide it now. She stood quickly and made her way to the bedroom. There it was, right where Daniel said. Pulling it open, she rummaged through the contents until she found what she was looking for.

"Here it is!" she called to Daniel and Carolyn who'd come into the room behind her. She set it on the bed and the three of them studied it closely. Suddenly Daniel gasped and looked at her.

"Vala, does this stone look familiar to you?"

"Only inasmuch as I remember buying it on Terla." She was confused by his apparent recognition and wondered at it.

"Take a closer look. The colouring, the shape. What does it remind you of?"

"At a guess, I'd say it looks like..." She trailed off as realisation hit. Pulling the necklace closer, she examined it again. "It can't be."

"I think it is."

"As engrossing as this is, someone want to fill me in here?" Carolyn asked, obviously not seeing what they had.

"It looks just like the Ancient stones Vala and I used to travel to the Ori galaxy. It's smaller, obviously, but I think it's the same. In fact, I'm certain."

"You may be right." Carolyn agreed. "In fact, I made a notation in my medical report that the comatose state Vala was in had similar readings to the one you two were in during your time in the Ori galaxy. It's a possibility this technology is the same."

"So, it's possible that the reason I don't remember anything past Terla is because my consciousness is actually _from_ that time?"

"I believe so." Carolyn stated.

Vala sighed in relief but had a few more questions. "So, I'm from the past and I was...transported ten years into the future. The technology isn't supposed to work that way, is it?"

"Not the ones we used." Daniel answered. "But perhaps this is a modified form of that technology."

"Okay." Vala took a deep breath. "How do we break the connection?"

"Well, Cam and Teal'c broke the original one by throwing the terminal, stones and all, into the kawoosh." Carolyn supplied. "Maybe all we have to do is destroy the stone."

"It's that easy?" Vala asked suspiciously.

"It's just a theory, but yeah, I think so. It can't hurt to at least try."

"All right." she agreed after a moment. "But can I see the children one more time, just in case something goes wrong?"

"Nothing is going to go wrong." Daniel said firmly and squeezed her hand.

"I hope you're right, darling, but I want to see them just the same. Please."

"I'll have Cam bring them to the SGC." Carolyn said. "The sooner we get this taken care of, the sooner life can go back to normal."

Vala smiled at the word "normal". She'd apparently jumped ten years through time and was about to be transported back. For them, this _was_ normal.

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	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"Why don't we just throw it into the kawoosh like we did the terminal?" Cam asked.

"Don't you think that's a bit drastic?" Daniel responded and Vala couldn't help but agree. The three of them plus Samantha, who was apparently head of the SGC now, and Carolyn had been sitting around the briefing table for the last ten minutes trying to figure out the best way to destroy the necklace. So far, though, Cam's was the only somewhat reasonable thought.

"That's not a bad idea, actually." Sam put in. "It worked the first time. It should have the same effect with the necklace."

"So, all we have to do is dial the 'gate, wait for the wormhole to start forming and throw it in?" Daniel asked.

"Pretty much." Sam said with a smile.

"Well, let's get to it, then." Cam put in.

As they all stood to leave, Vala sighed. She was finally going back to her own time. So why did it feel as if she were losing a part of herself?

()()()()

Vala was once again ensconced in the SGC infirmary, hooked up to various machines. Carolyn said she wanted to monitor everything that happened should this ever occur again. Vala hadn't argued simply because she wanted to get back to whatever was considered normal in her life. And she wanted to go back so she could experience everything that had led her to this place. That had her worried, though. What if everything that had happened in the ten years only occurred because of her time-jump? Had she forced events or had they come about on their own? Was it fate or had she nudged fate along to her own will? These thoughts were giving her a headache so she was grateful when the infirmary door opened and her children came bounding in with Daniel and Jack. Rhen first, of course, followed a little more slowly by Lilah and Matthew. Daniel wore and amused smile on his face, but she could see the worry in his eyes.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Rhen exclaimed as she jumped up on the bed and hugged her tightly. "I missed you. Uncle Cam let us make macaroons but they didn't taste very good. We made a mess in the kitchen and he said Aunt Carolyn is gonna kill him. She won't, will she? I like Uncle Cam, even if he can't make cookies very good. Daddy said Aunt Sam is gonna fix you and when she's done you'll remember. Is that right?"

Vala bit her lip to keep from laughing. She chose to ignore the statement about Cam's macaroons as she'd tasted them before and couldn't disagree. And she refused to speculate on what Carolyn would do to him once she saw her kitchen. "That's right. Aunt Sam and Uncle Cam are going to make sure I get all better." Vala moved Rhen to her side and motioned for Lilah and Matthew to climb up. Lilah scrambled up quickly and Daniel placed Matt in her lap "Okay, listen you guys. I need you to know that, no matter what, I love you three very much. Even though I don't remember certain things, I know that and it will never change. Got it?"

"I love you, too, Mommy!" the twins chorused at the same time.

"Love Mommy." Matt said and gave her a sloppy kiss to the cheek.

"Now, I want you three to go with Uncle Jack and wait outside. I need to talk to Daddy for a minute." The trio nodded and jumped from the bed. Before they left, though, Vala stopped them. "By the way, you guys are going back to Aunt Carolyn's to clean up her kitchen when we're done here, got it?"

"Yes, Mommy." they all said, a little more subdued this time.

"Told you we shouldn't tell her that part." she heard Lilah whisper to her sister as the door closed behind them.

Daniel chuckled as he took a seat next to her and grabbed hold of her hand. "There are times Lilah reminds me of you."

"Beautiful and cunning?" Vala grinned.

"Something like that." He paused for a moment then continued. "Now, you wanna tell me what's bothering you?"

"That transparent, am I?"

"Only to me, sweetheart. So?"

"Okay. I'm worried about what will happen when I go back. With all of my knowledge of the future, how do I know I didn't force all of this to come about? What if this isn't how it was supposed to happen?"

"You get that idea out of your head right now. You and I were destined to be together from the beginning. We both knew it, but neither of us wanted to admit it. Maybe this little glimpse into the future was supposed to give you the courage to admit your feelings. Give _us_ the courage."

"But how do I know I didn't project my feelings onto you?"

"Have you been talking to Dr. Hutchinson again? Honey, I loved you long before we confessed our feelings to each other. One of us was bound to take that leap eventually."

"I hope you're right."

"Of course I'm right." He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Are you ready?"

"Yes, I think so."

"Okay." Daniel threw a thumbs up to Carolyn in the observation deck. Vala watched as the doctor pressed the button on the wall and started to speak.

"Control room, this is Dr. Lam. We're ready whenever you are."

"Gotcha." Jack's voice came over the speaker.

"Does he have my children near the Stargate?" Vala asked in alarm.

"Come on, Vala. It's Jack we're talking about here."

"Exactly." Looks like Cam wasn't the only one who was going to meet his demise when this was over.

()()()()

In the gateroom, Cam stood at the base of the ramp, ready to throw the necklace in as soon as he got the go-ahead. He saw Sam give the signal to Walter.

"Chevron seven is...locked."

Cam watched the blue light spill out and threw the trinket into it. It disappeared as the vortex settled into itself and he grinned. Now all they had to do was wait. Cam looked up into the control room just in time to see Sam talking on the phone. She hung up and pressed the intercom button.

"She's back."

He grinned and left the gateroom to meet up with Sam and Jack. Their friend was back so life could go back to "normal".

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**Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

This is the chapter I had trouble with. Please give me your honest opinion on it. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Vala's eyes popped open suddenly and she sent a furtive glance around the room. Well, she was in the SGC infirmary but which one? The 2009 version or was it still 2019? Looking up into the observation deck, she noticed Carolyn wasn't there. That was a good sign, right? Her eyes travelled to the side of the bed where she noticed Daniel exactly where he was before. Only this time he appeared to be asleep and he was wearing BDUs. She sighed a little as she realised what that meant. She was finally home. She didn't think she'd made much of a sound but Daniel's head shot up quickly and their eyes connected.

"You're awake." he whispered after a moment. The obvious relief in his voice made her smile and she squeezed the hand that was holding hers.

"Yes, darling, I'm back."

'Back?"

"Never mind." She'd promised not to tell any one about her time-jump. Or had it all been a dream? She wasn't sure. Suddenly Daniel stood, releasing her hand.

"Guys, she's awake. Someone get Carolyn."

It wasn't until then that she looked around the rest of the room and noticed all of the members of SG-1 scattered about.

"Hey, Princess." Cam said as he, Sam and Teal'c made their way to her bedside.

"It is good to see you awake, Vala Mal Doran." Teal'c said with a nod.

"Thank you, Muscles. It's good to see you, too." She hadn't realised how much she'd missed the Jaffa in her time-jump until just now.

"You had us all so worried." Sam put in. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I had the strangest dream, though. You were there, and you, and you." She pointed to Sam, Daniel and Cam in turn.

"Well, Dorothy, glad you made it back from Oz." Cam said with a chuckle.

"Me, too. It's good to be home." They all gave her an odd look but before anyone could question her, Carolyn came into the room.

"Vala, I see you've decided to come back to us." She placed her stethoscope on Vala's chest with a kind smile. "Now, everyone out so I can examine my patient."

Sam, Cam and Teal'c all left the room immediately but Daniel lingered at her bedside. Vala smiled reassuringly up at him and reached for his hand. He took it and smiled back. "I'll be fine, darling. Let Carolyn do her job. I promise to still be here when you come back. And if you happen to be carrying a bowl of green Jell-O, you won't hear me complaining."

"You got it." he responded and squeezed her hand one last time before leaving.

"All right, Carolyn. Do your stuff."

()()()()

It took three days but Vala had finally been able to convince Carolyn that she was well enough to leave the infirmary. The future Carolyn had been right, they were blaming the coma on some virus she'd picked up on Terla. Vala hadn't refuted the theory, not wanting to mess with the future too much. They'd all agreed it should remain a secret. Besides, she still wasn't convinced that hadn't all been a dream. The thought saddened her a little, though, so she pushed it aside. Even so, keeping her "secret" made her feel a certain kinship to Teal'c. She now understood just how hard it must be for him to keep his fifty years on the _Odyssey_ to himself. Thankfully no one could harangue her for information as she had him. But she wasn't going to go back on her promise, even if it had all been a dream. She couldn't risk it. They'd all find out in ten years anyway. But that didn't mean she couldn't make a few bets on future events. Such as whether or not Cameron and Carolyn would ever start dating or who would take over the SGC after General Landry retired. Now she wished she'd found out just where Teal'c had been in that time.

One thing she knew for sure she wasn't going to do, though, was confess her feelings for Daniel. She'd thought about it and came to the conclusion that he had to come to her on his own. That way she could be certain she hadn't influenced events. She didn't care how long it took. She needed this to play out naturally. With that in mind, she pasted on her best "co-worker and friend" mask and strolled into Daniel's office.

"Hello, darling." she said with a grin. "What are you working on?"

"Nothing important." He pushed aside the tablet he'd been studying and graced her with a gentle smile. "I see Carolyn finally let you out. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Completely back to normal."

"Are you sure?" He stood, grabbed her chin in his hands and studied her like she was some Ancient artefact. "Not tired or anything? I mean, you _did_ just fight off an alien virus that nearly killed you. And you were unconscious for over a week."

"I told you, I feel perfectly healthy. Can I have my face back, please?" If he kept touching her, she didn't know if she could keep her promise not to confess her feelings.

Daniel's hand dropped abruptly form her face as if just realising what he was doing. She laughed and watched him place his hands in his pockets. "Sorry. I just-I was worried. When I found you unconscious the day after the mission, I got scared. I thought...I thought I'd lost you."

"Rubbish, I'm right here. Alive and ready to get back to work." She smiled gently at him and moved to walk past but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"That's not what I meant exactly. When I found you, I thought you were...I was afraid you were...dead. I thought I'd lost my chance to tell you...to let you know..."

"Let me know what, darling?" Vala looked deep into his eyes, waiting. There was no way she was going to force him to admit anything.

"I need to let you know how I feel. I-I care about you."

"I care about you, too, Daniel." she said carefully. "You're my best friend."

"Thank you, but I wasn't talking about friendship. I'm trying to tell you that I'm attracted to you and I care about you as...as more than a friend. Almost losing you again made me realise that I don't want to waste any more time thinking about this." With those words, he dropped his head and kissed her.

He'd caught her by surprise but soon Vala was giving as good as she got. There was nothing tentative or careful in this kiss. It was full of pent-up emotions and longing, from both sides. Finally they pulled apart, breathing heavily, and stared into each other's eyes.

"I don't believe your time spent thinking about that was at all wasted." she was finally able to get out.

Daniel laughed a little before turning nervous again. "What do you say? Wanna take a chance and see where this leads?"

Vala smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his lips lightly before answering. "I'd love to take this leap with you, my Daniel."

Daniel smiled again and pulled her into his arms once more for a kiss. Neither one of them spoke of love, but Vala didn't mind. There would be time enough for that. Right now she just wanted to enjoy the journey.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm actually thinking about writing a companion to this focussing on Daniel's experiences while Vala is in the coma. What do you think?


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